My Reaction to Brent Staples Essay

In “Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space” by Brent Staples, I came across a black man who was judge by appearance of how he looked, dressed, and walked. His first victim was a white woman who looked at him as if he was going to attack her. Attack her in a way of being a mugger, a rapist, or worse. I identified a white woman who stereotyped the black man in an open area. Like others, I judge by appearance because of my gender and race. If I was the woman, I will automatically pick up the pace and start walking fast in an open area because females are always getting hurt whether it is being raped, sexually assaulted, whistled, or even started at. Judging only by appearance does not tell you much about a person. I listen to my conscience because in the end, it will haunt me down. However, stereotyping is unethical because as a human, we are suppose to love our “neighbor” majority of the time no matter how he or she looks, dress, walk, or how they approach you at times. I understand where the white woman is coming from because as humans she listens to her inner mind (conscience), but stereotyping the black man was the wrong thing to do. The black man was just walking down the street and minding his own business. As people of society, we do not stereotype on purpose; it comes out naturaly because it is part of who we are. We are always listening to things that makes us to judge others by their first impression. Brent Staples described the black men being stereotyped because everywhere we go, they are always being judged at for no apparent reason. It gave me the perspective that no one has the right to judge except God and that stereotyping needs to end. Even if people are doing it as a part of their daily lifestyle, it is unethical. Until this day, stereotyping by a person’s appearance, still remains.